


Retribution

by crescendmoon



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Continuation fic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ending used is the Destroy Ending, F/M, FemShep is dealing with a lot of regret, More characters will be added when/if they appear, Takes place one year after the outcome of Mass Effect 3, Thane is dead but his character is still important to the plot, established relationship (sort of)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-06-18 13:48:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15487185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescendmoon/pseuds/crescendmoon
Summary: It's been one year since Commander Shepard chose to destroy the Reapers. One year since she sacrificed her life so all forms of life could continue to prosper. For the crew of the Normandy, it's been a difficult road to recovery from losing their commander and friend. And to Garrus, it was losing his girlfriend. But in reality, Shepard is still alive...she just doesn't want to be found. Not yet. Not when there's still some things she needs to take care of.





	1. Coping

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Mass Effect fic, so please let me know if some of my facts are wrong. I recently got into the Mass Effect series and it quickly become of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it, and comments/kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Before reading, please know that I'm writing this with information from my own personal playthroughs, mainly:  
> \- Kaidan survived Virmire  
> \- Kaidan and FemShep were in a relationship during ME1  
> \- Garrus and FemShep were in a relationship during ME2 and ME3  
> \- ME3 Destroy Ending where FemShep lives (obviously)

_“Shepard…”_

_“You gotta get out of here.”_

_“And you’ve gotta be kidding me.”_

_“Don’t argue, Garrus.”_

_“We’re in this till the end.”_

_“No matter what happens here…you know I love you. I always will.”_

_“Shepard, I…love you too.”_

~

~

~

**-One Year Later-**

[ASHLEY WILLIAMS]                [MORDIN SOLUS]

[THANE KRIOS]                        [EDI]

[LEGION]                                 [ADM DAVID ANDERSON]

      [COMMANDER SHEPARD]

Garrus stared at the wall of fallen comrades over the years; he’s made a routine of doing so every morning after he rises, and every night before heading to bed. After that fateful day, one year ago, when the Normandy’s commander… _his_ commander and girlfriend…saved the entire universe from the Reaper invasion, everyone was slowly starting to rebuild what was once lost. The destruction of the Reapers meant the destruction of anything that ran on high-powered tech as well as AI. Garrus could still remember the pained expression on Joker’s face when EDI shut down the moment that massive shockwave circulated throughout the Milky Way.

The rest of the crew made the unanimous vote to, much to Garrus’s surprise, make him the new commander of the Normandy, along with Admiral Hackett’s approval. In Liara’s words, “I’m sure Commander Shepard would have wanted this.” His chest tightened at those words, but accepted the proposal and all the responsibilities that came with it. Commander Garrus Vakarian had a nice ring to it, albeit bittersweet.

Ironically, most of the main crew that was left was the original one he first set off with. Joker obviously stayed with the ship, as not even death could break the two apart. Liara decided to stay, moving all of her belongings back onto the Normandy and still continuing her work as the Shadow Broker; her good friend Feron helped her in any way he could back on Illium. Kaidan had gotten yet another offer to return to the Citadel as a Spectre, but he told them “With all do respect, I would rather stay aboard the Normandy.” Garrus couldn’t help but chuckle at that; he still remembered those words Ashley Williams fired back at Kaidan, back on Virmire. Tali’Zorah also decided to stay aboard; her home was the Normandy now. Although she still kept frequent contact with the migrant fleet to make sure they were doing well.

Lieutenant James Vega left not long after the fight against the Reapers to go into the N7 training program. The crew threw a party for him before he left; many hilarious drunken stories were told that night, a nice change of pace from the melancholy that often wafted through the floors.

The one that surprised Garrus most, however, was Javik, the last living Prothean in the entire universe. He had decided to stay aboard the Normandy and “offer the primitives any more information needed, along with actual combat experience”. In reality, Garrus suspected he actually did enjoy his time with the rest of the team…Liara in particular. He regularly caught them talking about publishing a book together.

But even though he was surrounded by the friends he’s known the longest, not even that could fill the empty void in his heart. He demanded that they search for any traces of Shepard, either evidence of her demise or evidence that she survived through some miracle; they came up empty-handed every single time. Not even a body was found, which did little to comfort his mind. Sure, that could mean she was alive somehow, but the more likely conclusion was that she was probably destroyed instantly by the blast of the shockwave. He refused to think about that. About her final moments and how resolved Shepard must have been to save them. Even though he lost the one person he grew to care about and love throughout the years, he was also proud to have been able to say it was his girlfriend that saved everyone’s lives.

“Garrus, you’ve got a call waiting for you in the briefing room. Should I patch it through?” Joker’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

“Go ahead.”

A moment of silence, followed by a raspy voice very similar to his own. His father.

“Garrus, the situation here on Palaven isn’t looking too good.” Castis Vakarian sighed. “Primarch Victus is seriously considering us to look for another planet to call home, should the radioactive rapidly rush out of control.”

Garrus expected that some planets wouldn’t be able to rebuild after such a catastrophic event, especially if it was a planet that the Reapers wreaked havoc on before the end. He still had hope that Palaven could recover, but now it looked like that was nothing more than wishful thinking. “Is there anything I could do to help? How’s Solana?”

He heard his father let out an irritated sigh. “Solana decided to move to the Citadel. She told me she plans to look into the C-Sec Academy.”

Garrus hummed. “Guess that means you have another kid to keep your dreams alive.”

“I still would have preferred if she waited until the situation on Palaven was final. I plan on moving to the Citadel as well, as will many more of us, I’m assuming. I thought I could finally retire in peace, knowing that as far as we know, the universe is no longer being threatened by mechanical beings. But it seems that too will have to wait.” His father chuckled. “As for asking for help, I don’t think we’re in that dire of a situation right now…but don’t be surprised if one of the higher-ups sends out a distress call. Goodbye for now, Garrus.”

His father hung up before he could give a response. Typical of him, but at least he knew that both his father and sister were alright for now. As he made his way out of the briefing room, he ran into Kaidan by the elevator.

“Hey, Garrus.”

“Kaidan.”

Kaidan said nothing else, staring at the wall of names. To be more precise, it seemed like his eyes were darting back and forth between Ashley’s and Shepard’s. Kaidan was probably experiencing more grief than the rest of the crew, excluding himself. Garrus wasn’t sure how to comfort his friend aside from a hesitant hand on the other’s shoulder.

Kaidan didn’t react immediately, but sighed at the acknowledgement. “Sorry, Garrus. I guess it still hasn’t quite hit me, yet. Can I…confide in you about something?”

“…Shoot.” Garrus brought both his hands to his sides and stared up at the wall as well.

“Back on Virmire, when Shepard had to choose who to rescue…she told me it was because she couldn’t bear to leave me behind. I’ll admit that we…were in a relationship back then, but kept it a secret due to the Alliance’s fraternization laws.” Kaidan risked a hesitant glance at Garrus, who nodded him to continue. “I suffered from some serious survivor’s guilt from that, but she managed to get me through that. It must have been one of the hardest decisions she had to make at the time. I was angry and sad at the time it happened, but now…I guess I’m finally happy that she made the choice so I could live my life. She really touched my heart.”

Garrus’s chest tightened, but he said nothing.

“And then when I saw her again, two years later, after I thought she was killed…I said such horrible things to her, accusing her of joining with Cerberus. In hindsight, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear that she moved on from me. I probably would have, if I were in her shoes.” Kaidan smiled sadly. “I’m just glad that we were able to patch things up between the two of us, before the final battle. She told me that I was still important to her, and that meant everything to me. If we still left each other with bad blood between us…I don’t think I would have been able to handle it.”

Garrus could tell that Kaidan was trying to hold back tears. Kaidan turned to face him. “Sorry, I just needed to get some shit off my chest. I know it’s been a year, but it still pains me when someone important to me dies. First Ashley, now Shepard. I just want you to know that I’m here for you, as well…to talk to. I’m not sure I should tell you this, but…I remember her talking about you a lot, whenever we spent time together. How much you meant to her. If you need _anything_ …I’m here for you.”

Garrus stared at Kaidan, who was looking at him expectantly. “…Thank you, Kaidan. I’m glad to still have you aboard this ship. You might have been an ass back when we were working with Cerberus, but I still consider you a good friend.”

That got a laugh out of Kaidan. “The feeling is mutual. Well I guess I should look through the logs…Admiral Hackett said he would send me some missions that should pop up to keep us busy. Bullshit, I say.”

Upon Kaidan leaving, Garrus crossed his arms and walked to the lounge, hoping the ship had restocked some dextro-amino-based alcohol. He could go for a good drink to knock him out for the rest of the day. When he entered the lounge, he found Tali, Liara, and Javik there as well. Tali beckoned him to come sit, which he did as soon as he poured himself a large glass of some bright green liquid he didn’t argue about. He checked the ingredients label and the moment he saw it was safe for turians, he didn’t give a shit.

“I see our new commander is celebrating with giant glass of sunbathed salarian.” Tali toasted him with the drink in her hand.

Garrus’s mandibles stiffened in disgust. “Is that what this is called? That sounds disturbing. It’s like picturing Mordin on a beach.” He shuddered at the thought, which got Tali and Liara to laugh.

“That’s just the common nickname for it because apparently, if a salarian drinks a lot of it, it can sometimes cause their skin to turn a bright reddish tint, like they bathed in the sun for too long.” Liara explained. “They make different versions so any species can drink it.”

Javik chuckled. “A sunbathed salarian sounds delicious. Of course, back in my cycle, that term would have been taken far more literally.”

Liara grimaced, while Tali and Garrus stared at their drinks for a long second before setting them down, never to be touched again.

“So what’s the next mission for us, _Commander_ Garrus?” Tali piped up. “I heard some new gangs have been formed on the Citadel that needs quelling.”

“Or maybe we can just relax?” Liara sighed. “It’s taken a year just to get half of the technology working properly as they did before. Makes my job as an information broker than much more difficult. No doubt the Citadel is having its fair share of problems that are beyond our expertise.”

Tali scoffed. “Speak for yourself. I at least still have my skills as a tech expert; maybe helping the Citadel can get us enough credits to increase rations and modify the ship for better, safer travel.”

“I have to admit, I too am beginning to get restless.” Javik crossed his arms. “I heard over the news that the planets within the Milky Way have declared a peaceful truce, in order to give everyone time to recover from the heavy losses. But I still don’t trust half of the worlds out there. How do we know someone isn’t taking advantage of the situation to plan an attack right now?”

Garrus had to agree. Just because peace treaties have been signed, doesn’t mean someone won’t go behind everyone’s backs and take advantage of the weakened worlds. But until evidence of a threat was found, nothing could be done about it. “We’ll have to keep a vigilant eye out. Until then, I think going to the Citadel might be a good idea.”

“I’m glad we agree.” Tali nodded. “Joker, plot a course for the Citadel!”

Joker’s voiced cracked over the comms. “I’m assuming you got Garrus’s approval and this is not just some prank, right?”

“It’s approved. Why would I prank you into visiting the Citadel?” Garrus questioned.

“I never know with you people sometimes.” Joker laughed as the Normandy made its way to the Citadel. Within the year, the very first thing humanity worked on to get fixed was the mass relay. It was a slow and painful process, one that was not even fifty-percent completed. However, thanks to the efficiency of salarian scientists, they were able to find a way to outfit each and every ship, including the Normandy, with its own mini mass relay system. Meaning that each individual ship could that was outfitted with one could travel at light speeds. Not as efficient should another full-scale war break out, but better than nothing. The universe was slowly rebuilding with many more improvements to come.

~

~

~

**-Earth, U.S.A, New Mexico-**

The dry, dust-filled wind blew across the populous capital of Santa Fe, the tall buildings being the few sources of shade during the harsh summer heat. The United States in general hadn’t been affected as much as say, London, but even they had to fix up the technology that was shut down. New Mexico was one of the few places in the United States that chose to keep as much of its rich history alive as possible, meaning fewer high-tech buildings run by mega corps, mostly desert wastelands that go on for miles with absolutely beautiful flora and fauna, and they didn’t even have a VI system prior to the Reaper invasion. Although now that they were rebuilding, there was talk about implementing some sort of system in order to welcome newcomers; after the Reaper invasion, more and more alien species chose various locations on Earth as vacation spots, much to the surprise of the human embassy both on Earth and the Citadel. It was now a common place to find families of turian and krogan visiting New Mexico to see the sights. The krogan in particular loved the arid, hot deserts and allowed their little ones to run around and play in the dirt, thankful that the genophage was cured at last so they could share this moment with generations to come.

However, not everything was happy and peaceful, even in peacetime. A relatively new gang of mostly humans calling themselves the Scorpions wreaked havoc across the poorer towns of the state, demanding money from the already destitute residences.

“I don’t give a shit if you can’t pay for food for your family.” The ringleader, a giant of a man known only as Barto, demanded from a woman and her two small children. “In this shanty town, the Scorpions reign. If you wish to live her, either pay up. Of course, paying by handing over one of your children would do just fine, too.” The man gave the children a sick grin, causing them to tear up and hide behind their mother with fear in their eyes. The woman didn’t back down. “Fine then, your loss.” He gestured to one of his henchman. “Kill her. Keep the children alive if you can—”

A shot rang out from the darkness, and his henchman fell over, dead.

“What the hell?!” Barto yelled. “Get sights on the sniper, damnit! Don’t just stand around!”

Another shot. Another dead body.

The mother and her children took that opportunity to make a run for it. Barto tried to grab her, but a bullet stopped him in his tracks.

“Where the hell are you! Coward!” Barto screamed out. In response, a lone figure dropped down from her perch, a cloak over her head and the darkness covering her face.

Barto glared at the stranger. “You fuckin’ bitch. Think you can get the better of Barto? My gang’s been runnin’ these streets for two years now. Don’t think you’ll get away with killing—”

A sniper’s bullet whooshed past the stranger’s face, hitting Barto right between the eyes. He fell over, lifeless.

The stranger, a woman with short brown hair cut straight across, bangs to the side and a piercing gaze, glared down at the body of the gang leader. “I just did.”

She then sighed as her attention was brought to the direction of the other bullet, where her “accomplice” jumped down from. “I didn’t wish for you to be the one to kill him.”

A drell, tall and slender with bluish-green scales carrying a sniper rifle, emerged from the shadows. “You may have had good intentions when you stopped me from killing that politician back on the Citadel, but I just couldn’t overlook this, Commander Shepard.”

Shepard brought her hood down. “Your father didn’t want you to follow in his footsteps, Kolyat.”

Kolyat hummed. “I’m not following in his footsteps, Commander—”

“I’m no longer the commander of anything, so stop calling me that.”

“…I’m not following in his footsteps, _Shepard_. He was an assassin; a weapon to be used by his clients. I’m not an assassin. I’m choosing to take up this gun to protect innocent people from scum like him.” He pointed the barrel of his rifle to the bloodied body lying before them. “People like this make me sick. Even after so many sacrificed their lives to save the universe, there’s still those who try to take advantage of the weak.”

Shepard couldn’t help but smirk a bit. “Fair enough. We should head back…I need to get in touch with someone.”

Kolyat nodded and followed close behind. “You still haven’t told me why you are here, of all places. I would have expected you to have gone back to join your crew.”

Shepard remained silent, contemplating what she should say.

“Forgive me if I have said something out of line.” Kolyat started, but was cut off.

“They don’t know I’m alive…I intend to keep it that way as long as I can.”

Kolyat’s eyes widened. “They don’t—Forgive me, Shepard, but I fail to see how this would benefit anyone.”

Shepard’s eyes fell as she bit her lip. “I need to get over my own demons before I can reunite with them. It’s…also the reason why I’m here in New Mexico.”

Kolyat stared at her for a moment, then looked away. “…I see.” The tone of his answer implied that he knew why she was there. She didn’t question it, and he didn’t ask any more.

She decided to ask a question of her own. “Why are _you_ here specifically? When I ran into you a few days ago, we didn’t have a chance to talk before these bastards made their presence known.”

“I’m assuming you watched the videos I told you about. The ones my father recorded for you in the hospital.” When Shepard nodded, he continued. “I could tell, when we visited this place, that my father loved it. It was arid, near perfect conditions for a drell. He was even talking about possibly moving here once his role on the Citadel was finished. I could tell he was joking, but…a part of me hoped that he would have lived long enough for that to be a reality.”

Shepard clenched her teeth and looked down, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Kolyat. But he chose to ignore it for the time being. “After you took care of the Reapers, I’ve been visiting New Mexico every month, to relive those memories in person—”

_[Reds and blues dance across the sky]_

_[Claws clasp its prey]_

_[A sudden loud thump on the ground could be heard next to me]_

_[Father! I yell as I kneel beside him. He’s unconscious. I ask for the first flight back to the Citadel.]_

Kolyat let out a stammered breath. “I apologize.”

Shepard puts a hand on his shoulder. “I should be the one apologizing…I shouldn’t have…”

Kolyat stopped her. “It’s impossible to talk to a drell without us slipping back into memories…happy or sad, we cannot help it. This memory in particular, I’ve relived every month. Every time I come here. It may seem like a sad memory, but to me, it’s the last memory of my father before he was sent to the hospital. I choose to look at it with happiness; if I don’t…it might just drive me insane.”

Once they arrived back at the temporary apartment which they shared as their base of operations, she checked her omni-tool. Thank the stars the United States managed to fix them to be functional again; they couldn’t do everything their original selves were able to, but at the very least they could still be used for communication and looking up information.

Shepard stared sadly at Kolyat as they both sat down on the couch. “You probably already have suspicions as to why I’m here, but I’d like to tell you, anyways.” Kolyat gave her his full attention. “When I watched those videos your father recorded for me, he told me about that time you two visited New Mexico. He also voiced his wish that I could have been with him to see how beautiful it was.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t have been able to, since I was under house arrest, but…I wanted to make it up to him now. And he was right; it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.”

Kolyat nodded in understanding. “I’m surprised that you would do such a thing. Not saying that your heartless, of course. Just that…I didn’t realize you and my father were so close that you would do this for him.”

Shepard said nothing for a long while. In the end, she allowed a few tears to stream down her cheeks. “We weren’t together, if that’s what you were implying. But when we talked, I felt like I could feel his pain and sadness when he explained the aspects of his life. I could tell he needed someone to talk to. A friend who would listen without judgment.” She wiped the tears away. “He was a good friend…the circumstances of his death is one of the few things I still regret to this day. It still lingers in my heart.”

“…I see.” Kolyat turned his gaze away. “Are those the demons you were referring to?”

Shepard’s silence was a good enough answer for him.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for that. He was already at the end of his life, but he was able to die a hero, that day.” Kolyat smiled slightly. “Even now, his spirit is probably by our sides, pushing us to move forward.”

She looked at him. “I recall him telling me about how drell believe that the body is just a vessel for the spirit.”

Kolyat nodded. “Even though our bodies die, our spirit lives on.”

Shepard smiled. “…You know, I can still recall one of the last conversations we had, before we went on a suicide mission on that Collector base. He called me something that my translator couldn’t pick up.”

“Oh?”

She nodded. “He called me…’siha’.”

Kolyat was silent. He blinked a few times, as if not be able to process what was just said.

“What did he mean when he said that?” She asked him, but she received no immediate answer.

“…For now, I think it’s best if I didn’t explain that. Maybe once everything is sorted out, I’ll tell you.” Kolyat then got up from the couch. “Goodnight, Shepard.” And closed the bedroom door behind him.

Shepard tilted her head in confusion but made no effort to stop him. “I’ll keep you to that promise.” She whispered under her breath before bringing up her omni-tool and inputted a few numbers. “…Miranda, you there?”

A few seconds passed before Miranda Lawson’s voice came over the line. “Shepard, is that you? I haven’t heard from you in months.”

Shepard chuckled. “I was busy dealing with some problems back in the States. Living the life of a vigilante is no cake walk…I should have asked Garrus how he managed to do this so efficiently.”

Miranda hummed. “Well I’m glad finding you buried beneath the rubble and reviving you yet again had its benefits. I still feel like we should have told your old crew about this. They still make monthly trips back to London to find traces of you, you know.”

“I still have some loose ends to tie up…” Shepard’s voice wandered off, to which Miranda let out an exasperated sigh.

“I hope you realize just how much pain you’re causing them…I hope you know what you’re doing.” Miranda chastised. “I understand that you must be in a lot of pain as well, but you weren’t there when Garrus had to put your name up on that wall.”

Shepard winced. “Last I checked, you weren’t there, either.”

“Not the point, Shepard.” Miranda’s voice was melancholic. “Your crew misses you. _Garrus_ misses you. You know, your boyfriend? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about him and how disgustingly sweet you two were back at your apartment on the Citadel. Calling each other ‘sweetie’ and ‘honey’.”

“I get it, Miranda.” Shepard’s voice was tense. “I miss Garrus a lot…more than anyone could hope to understand. But I can’t…I can’t go back to them yet. There’s stuff I need to do here, first. I can’t move on until I do so. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one you should be saying that to, Shepard.”

Shepard sighed. “Look just…don’t tell them I’m alive yet. But can you at least try to keep me updated on their status?”

“I’ll try, but I’m not part of the crew anymore. I suppose I can use my connections to look up their activities whenever they dock somewhere, but that’s the best I can do right now.”

“That’s more than enough. Thank you.” They said their goodbyes with promises to keep in touch.

It was beyond difficult to make the decision to stay on Earth and make things right. Ever since she awoke from slumber in the hospital with Miranda by her side, she wondered what her former crew had been up to. She missed them. She hoped that when she saw them again, they were all together and not broken up like the last time she came back from the dead. She hoped that they would welcome her back with understanding as to why she did was she did. She hoped that Garrus of all people would understand and still loved her the way she loved him. As she fell asleep on her bed, Garrus was the last thing on her mind.

 


	2. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrus meets his sister on the Citadel, and someone he didn't expect to meet.  
> Shepard and Kolyat realize that peace is being threatened in the States. Guess it's time to look for more teammates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block always hits me on the second chapter of my fics. I apologize for the tardiness of this update! But during the span of my writer's block, I managed to finish the Mass Effect Trilogy three times and am currently playing through a fourth time (not to mention playing through Andromeda a second time), so it was not wasted! Hope you like it!

**GARRUS**

**-Citadel-**

As the Normandy made its way into Docking Bay D24, the crew had already decided on what they should be doing during this “supply run”. Supply run being the official reason, but they all agreed that they needed a little R&R. Tali chose to speak with her stomach and _finally_ try out that sushi restaurant she’s been wanting to go to. They had recently reopened after the Citadel had been restored for the most part. Most notably, upon its reopening, the restaurant no longer has a fish tank. Javik said something about wondering what this place referred to as Purgatory was, to which Kaidan immediately followed after him. Everyone on the crew knew how Javik got when he drank too much. Liara, to her credit, decided to take up the responsibility of _actually_ doing a supply run, including stocking up on both levo and dextro rations, buying weapon mods, and checking in with the Council.

As for Garrus, the moment he set foot off the Normandy he made his way towards C-Sec. A few long elevator rides later (damn he missed those), he couldn’t help but feel a short pang of nostalgia. Not because he hadn’t been back here in so long, because he has, but because he suddenly started thinking about his own days in C-Sec…how his journey with Shepard began in the first place. He shook his head at the thoughts, determined not to dwell on it. Losing himself in his thoughts about Shepard was a common thing for him, and more often than not, those moments ended up hurting him more than anything.

Thankfully, he found his reason for being at C-Sec in the first place. His sister, Solana, was leaning against a wall right outside Commander Bailey’s office. She noticed him right away and her mandibles flared a little, signaling a slight smile.

“Garrus!” She walked up to him and circled around. “It’s really you, right? I’m not hallucinating?”

Garrus rolled his eyes. “Yes, it’s really me. It hasn’t been that long since we’ve last seen each other.”

She wacked him in the shoulder, causing him to stagger in surprise. “Vid calls don’t count, you ass. And even then, you stopped calling after I don’t even know what happened—” It was then that she noticed the right side of Garrus’s face and gasped. “Holy SHIT, what happened to your face?!”

Garrus scratched the left side of his cheek. “Uh…it’s a long story.”

“Which you will tell me this minute or else I’m going to follow you onto your ship and annoy you until you do.” Solana proceeded to grab his chin with her talons and maneuvered his head so she could get a closer look. Damn, she was stubborn.

Garrus sighed. “Alright look. How about we go to the Apollo Café and chat about it there. I’d rather not disrupt the peace of the embassies retelling this.”

Solana eyed him suspiciously for a moment before she relented. “Deal.”

“But in return, you have to tell me why you’re here and not helping Dad on Palaven.” He said as he started walking towards the elevator. “It’s only fair.”

Solana groaned but nodded her head in agreement as she followed her brother to the Presidium.

.

.

.

The look on Solana’s face was priceless to the point that Garrus almost outright hollered at her slacked jaw and mandibles completely flared out. He actually thought her jaw would fall off if it could.

“You took a rocket _to the face?!_ ” Solana shrieked. “How are you still alive?! I mean I’m glad you’re still alive but seriously!”

Garrus glanced around the café and noticed a few other customers staring at them like they were crazy. “Quiet down, Sol. It happened towards the end of my times being a vigilante on Omega. I think I told you about that.”

Solana huffed. “Not in much detail. Heck, I didn’t even know what sort of trouble you were getting into aside from you taking shady jobs. You know, while I was trying to take care of Mom.”

“…I’m still sorry about that.” Garrus looked down at his hands on the table. “I donated quite a bit of money towards the hospital, but that’s still not the same as actually being there.” His mandibles tightened. “Did she suffer?”

Solana eyed him. “You mean in her final hours? No, she didn’t. She couldn’t even remember me, which hurt a lot…but she managed to remember Dad right before she passed. He didn’t have time to mourn because of the impending reaper invasion, but I was a wreck for quite a bit.”

Garrus felt horrible for not being there for his family. He wasn’t sure how he could face them after he failed at being the C-Sec officer his dad wanted him to be, and then when Shepard got spaced and was presumed dead, he just about lost it. He left the Citadel altogether and ventured far out to Omega, eventually turning into Archangel and trying to right the wrongs of that godforsaken shithole. With him and his team, he felt like he finally belonged somewhere, doing something he believed in. And then Sidonis decided to ruin everything. Everyone but himself was dead because of Sidonis, and because he himself didn’t see it coming.

He probably would have been killed by the mercs on that fateful day if it weren’t for Shepard, someone he thought to be dead. And as he expected once reunited with his commander, all hell broke loose.

“It was during that final push to getting rid of the merc groups that a gunship fired a rocket at me. According to the doctor, she said the entire right side of the face was practically destroyed and she would have to use cybernetics to piece me back together.” Garrus explained. “I recovered quicker than they had anticipated, but as soon as I was out, Shepard asked me to join her in her mission…how could I say no to her?” He chuckled, thinking back to that day.

Solana’s brow plate rose a bit. “You and Commander Shepard sound awfully close.”

Garrus froze. “Well…sure. I mean we’ve been through hell together, like defeating Saren, and then finding a bunch of criminals and vigilantes to fight the collectors…and then when Shepard was placed under house arrest and I had to do something to warn Palaven about the reapers—”

“You’re rambling.” Solana said in an amused tone.

“Right. Sorry.” Garrus sighed. “…We’ve just…been through a lot together.”

Solana hummed. “You loved her, didn’t you.”

It wasn’t a question. Garrus stared at his sister for a moment, and then closed his eyes and nodded slowly. “She meant everything to me. Hell, I practically proposed to her—”

“You did WHAT.” Solana looked like she took a slap to the face. “Geez, Garrus, I knew you often took things too far but proposal? Wait…” She leaned forward in her seat. “Did she say ‘yes’?”

Garrus smiled. “Not with words. After I asked her, she just pulled me down and kissed me…she told me she loved me. That was probably one of the greatest days of my life.”

Solana’s body relaxed. “…Wow. My brother, not only smitten with a _human_ , but the great Commander Shepard.” Her mandibles suddenly drooped. “But…I heard she didn’t…”

Garrus could tell she didn’t want to finish the sentence with what she wanted to say. He simply shook his head. “She gave her life to destroy the reapers. We checked practically every part of the Citadel during repairs, even ventured to London a few times…we never found a body, or any trace of her left.”

Solana looked to the side with her arms crossed. “I’m sorry to hear that. But if it makes you feel better…not finding a body can also be a good thing, right? There’s no proof she’s alive, but there’s no proof that she died, either.”

“I know. But it’s been an entire year since then. If she were alive…I don’t know.” Garrus made a slow trilling sound, one that only turians could pick up as a sense of melancholic longing. “I would like to believe she would return to the Normandy. To…me.”

Solana’s mandibles held tight to her face. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t get your hopes up in case my theory turns out to be untrue. Have you come to terms with it?”

Garrus sighed. “Not as well as I would like. I still dream about her…about the time we’ve spent together. I don’t think that sort of pain ever fully goes away, but at the very least I can stay focused when I need to be. She used to distract my thoughts every waking hour.”

Solana nodded in understanding. “Well, I’m glad to hear that, at least.” She then chuckled. “Dad probably would have been over the moon if he knew you were with Commander Shepard.”

“Really? Because I seem to recall him giving us this huge speech before setting off on our own that our family lineage was important and therefore had to have turian children to keep our name alive.” Garrus chuckled fondly at that distant memory.

Solana rolled her eyes. “Please. Even if she was a human, how the hell could Dad say no to the woman who singlehandedly saved the world from total annihilation? She’s literally a hero to those who lived it, and a legend to those both too young to remember and those born after the fact. And let me tell you something, I’m not sure if the Citadel or every other populated planet is the same, but after the reapers were defeated? I swear there was a baby boom on Palaven large enough to populate a second planet.”

Garrus chuckled at that. “So does that mean Dad finally has that turian grandchild he’s been wanting?”

“You know I’m not dating anyone at the moment.” Solana’s mandibles flared slightly. “I honestly don’t understand why everyone wants to have babies after some catastrophic event. I can kinda get that being true about soldiers who actually fought, but civilians, too?”

“I believe the human phrase is ‘we’re so glad to be alive’ sex. At least, that’s what Shepard told me after we survived the Collector Base and—”

Solana cut him off. “Please no more, I don’t want to hear about your ventures in bed with your commanding officer.” She threatened to hit him after Garrus couldn’t stop laughing at her.

“Okay Sis, but enough about me. You promised to tell me why you were on the Citadel and not with Dad, so out with it.” Garrus crossed his arms and raised a brow plate. No way was his little sister getting off that easily.

“And here I thought you would forget all about that.” Solana gave the turian equivalent of a pout. “Fine. So I’m sure you’re aware about Palaven’s state?” Upon seeing Garrus nod, she continued. “Turns out that thanks to the reapers, Palaven’s environment has practically been destroyed. Not saying it’s inhabitable; in fact, after some in-depth studies from some salarian scientists, they concluded that with careful use of materials and disposal of waste…as well as gradually cleansing the atmosphere of lethal clouds of radiation…Palaven should be back to normal in around six to eight months, give or take. But until then, many of those living in the more lethal parts of Palaven are moving off-world to more safer environments.”

Garrus understood. While he was upset about the current state of his homeworld, he was grateful that it wasn’t a complete lost cause like his father seemed to imply. “So you’re on the Citadel looking for a place to stay?” That seemed plausible, but something didn’t quite add up. “As much as I believe you, why be so secretive when I confronted you about it if that was all?”

Solana groaned. “Okay look…you know I’ve been in the turian military until now, right? Well I was thinking about applying to C-Sec after moving here.”

Garrus crossed his arms in irritation. “Dad already told me that much.”

“…I maaaay have been trying to get the attention of this guy that works there…”

Of course she was. “Please tell me I don’t know him.”

“His name is Decian Chellick—”

“You want to date CHELLICK?” Garrus didn’t even try to hide his exasperation. Hell, he didn’t even know the guy was even still alive! He hadn’t seen or heard from him since he and Shepard helped collect illegal weapons for him a couple of years back. “I mean, I can think of worse turians to date, but…” He then groaned. “Is THAT why you want to join C-Sec? To get closer to him?!” He could have sworn that Solana had reverted back to being a teenager with how drastic she was taking things.

Solana huffed. “Give me more credit than that, Garrus. I really did originally want to apply to C-Sec in order to make life on the Citadel easier for myself and Dad. Not everyone can live off of the benefits that came with helping Commander Shepard save the world, you know.” Garrus shook his head, which Solana responded to with a pointed look. “I happened to run into him while touring the Academy…turns out he’s the new executor of C-Sec. After telling him who I was, he started acting all formal as if I turned into Dad. So I decided to shift my posture to give him a very good look at my waist. He couldn’t form a coherent sentence after that.”

Garrus decided right then that as soon as he parted ways with his sister, he would get the strongest drink a turian could buy without killing himself. “So Chellick’s the new executor…he was always gifted in undercover operations, but I can’t picture him actually being in charge of everyone. Can’t wait to see how different he’s running things compared to Pallin.”

Solana shrugged. “I didn’t know either back when you were working in C-Sec…I’m sure things have changed since then though, considering all that’s happened over the years.” Her mandibles relaxed. “But I’m still having trouble finding a place to stay…if I can’t find one, it surely won’t be easy working on the Citadel.”

Garrus thought for a moment. “There’s a pretty nice apartment complex on the Silversun Strip. Shepard had an apartment there, given to her by her old captain.” He scratched his left mandible. “Actually…Shepard did say that it was mine to share with her; she even got my name on the deed before we shipped out, so I guess it’s mine now.” Garrus just now remembered about that apartment and that party Shepard threw for everyone as a fond farewell before the final battle to retake Earth. Those were certainly happy memories for all of the crew, not just him. And then there was that time he actually got Shepard to dance…

“Hello? You still with me?”

Garrus was shaken from his memories by Solana’s talons in front of his face. “S-Sorry, Solana. Was just…reminiscing.” He shook his head a little. “Actually, since that apartment is technically mine now, you and Dad can stay there until you find a place of your own. I’m spending most of my time on the Normandy helping with the rebuild and recovery effort anyway.”

When it looked like Solana was going to start bouncing in her seat, he put a talon up. “ONLY if you promise to actually look for an apartment for yourself and not freeload off your brother.”

Solana feigned shock. “Our parents didn’t raise me to be that kind of turian! Have more faith in me, Garrus.”

Somehow, Garrus highly doubted he wouldn’t be taken advantage of in this situation. She might be a turian, but she was also his little sister. They practically make it their life’s mission to torment their older siblings, regardless of how old they are.

He brought up his omni-tool. “I’ll send you the address and passkey so you can enter.” She received the information with no problems. “Listen, I should get back to the Normandy…but I promise to keep in touch with you and Dad. And hey, at least help Dad move here instead of making him do all that himself.”

Solana chuckled. “Yes sir, I’ll get on that. Not like I was abandoning him…although it _was_ nice not hearing him complain like he always does. The silence will be missed.”

The siblings gave each other a firm hug before parting ways, and Garrus made his way back to the docking bay. He ran into Liara on the way back, finding out that she had supplied the ship with almost everything they needed. Garrus told her to take her time, and was about to board the ship when another ship at the opposite side caught his attention. Not the ship itself, but rather the woman standing in front of it, giving orders to her men with authority. The thing that caught his eye above anything else was her long, curly, deep red hair. As if on instinct and impulse, he darted from the ramp to the Normandy and made his way towards the other ship. He needed to see this woman up close. He felt compelled to.

When he finally got there, his breath caught in his throat. It was as if he was staring at an older Shepard; she was taller than most human women he’s come into contact with (only a little bit shorter than Shepard herself if he had to guess), had the same piercing gaze, same color hair (although longer and curlier with hints of gray here and there)…even her voice was similar if only a bit raspier.

“While we’re refueling, everyone has a few hours to themselves. Make use of it.” The woman stated matter-of-factly with her hands behind her back.

Her men responded in turn. “Yes, Rear Admiral Shepard!”

Garrus couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and stood there in shock as the soldiers passed by him, none of whom even looked at him. Either that or he didn’t notice, too focused on the woman still standing a few feet away. He shook himself out of the daze and hastily reached out to her when he saw her about to go back onto the ship. “W-Wait!”

The woman turned around and stared at him with confusion. “Yes? Did you have business with me, young man?”

Crap, Garrus didn’t know what to ask her. Or how to word what he wanted to ask her. He began to fiddle with his talons. “Uh…sorry it’s just…you look a lot like someone I once knew.”

Her eyes softened and she walked closer to him. “Did you know my daughter? Did you know Jane?”

Garrus’s chest felt tight and heavy. He looked down at his hands. “I did. We…I served on the Normandy by her side ever since she was tasked with tracking down Saren Arterius.”

The woman put a hand over her mouth; it looked like tears were about to form. “Oh my…are you Garrus Vakarian by any chance?”

Garrus was surprised that she knew him. “You’ve heard of me, ma’am?”

She smiled. “There isn’t a soldier alive who doesn’t know about the crew that helped save the world. The Normandy is a legendary vessel now. Also…my daughter may have talked to me on a few occasions and your name was brought up a few times.” She chuckled softly. “It sounded like you and my daughter were good friends.”

Garrus’s mandibles flared. “Yes, we were.” He wasn’t sure if Shepard told her mother about their relationship status, so he decided to keep that under wraps for now. “She once told me that I was the only one she could trust…I felt the same. We’ve been through hell together.”

The woman tilted her head thoughtfully, before extending a hand to him. “I’m Hannah Shepard, rear admiral of the SSV Orizaba. I am also the proud mother of Commander Shepard. It is an honor to meet my daughter’s most trusted companion.”

Garrus was stunned for a split second before taking the older Shepard’s hand in his own. “The honor is mine, Rear Admiral Shepard.”

“Just looking at you and hearing you speak…I can see why Jane put so much trust in you.” Hannah commented.

“Oh?”

Hannah nodded. “It’s hard to explain, but let’s just say there’s this air around you that tells me that you are protective of your ideals, as well as those around you.” She smiled sadly. “After what Jane experienced on Akuze, I was afraid she would get affected by the inevitable death toll that comes with being a soldier. That moment of her life greatly affected her, and as I’m sure you know, my daughter loved to bottle things up and not want to show her emotions, especially in the presence of others. I…I hope you were there for her during those moments?”

Garrus started making an involuntary trill combined with a soft purring noise, something he knew the older Shepard wouldn’t be able to hear. “I tried to be with her as much as I could during those times.” He chuckled. “I have to admit, your daughter tried her hardest to get me to leave her alone. Apparently at one point my nagging to persuade her to get some sleep annoyed her…although it did end up working, so I guess I succeeded.”

“That sounds like my Jane.” She bit her lip. “I miss her so much.”

Garrus’s gaze lowered. “…I do, too.” He then made eye contact with her. “Can I…ask you something that might be sensitive, given the circumstances?”

Hannah gave him a knowing look and nodded.

“Has anyone recovered anything from the site? Shepard’s remains were never found…in fact, the only evidence found at all was David Anderson’s body, and that was in a pretty bad state.” Garrus sighed. “I guess I’m just looking for some closure.”

Hannah placed a hand on Garrus’s shoulder. “I’ll admit, it’s difficult to think about this. I demanded that any new regarding Jane were to be brought to me immediately, and yet…nothing of note has been recovered since the recovery efforts began.”

She noticed Garrus’s shoulders droop slightly, so she smiled. “But that doesn’t mean I’ve given up hope yet. I know my daughter; I know how stubborn she could be. And I’m sure you know better than anyone that not even death could keep her down for long.”

Garrus’s jaw slacked slightly. “So you’re telling me…”

Hannah winked at him. Actually _winked_. “I’m telling you to have faith in my daughter. I know she’s still alive out there…and I won’t stop believing that until they bring back a body to prove otherwise.”

Garrus was speechless. Throughout the year he’s had many people, including James Vega and even his own sister that he shouldn’t give up hope, but he shot them all down, thinking it was best to just move on. Any parent wouldn’t want to give up on their child; Garrus didn’t think that hearing the same argument from Hannah Shepard would affect him as much as it did. He always had a tendency for leaning on the more cynical side of an argument, but for now…he felt that it wouldn’t hurt to renew that hope inside him that was so close to flickering out.

His omni-tool pinged suddenly. Upon looking down at it, he noticed he had a message from Tali requesting to see him immediately on the Normandy. Damnit, he didn’t want to leave just yet.

Hannah seemed to understand the urgency in his eyes. “I’m sure we’ll cross paths again, Garrus. And when we do, I hope my daughter will be right next you.”

Garrus smiled, his mandibles flaring wide. “I hope so too, ma’am.” As he was about to turn around, a question formed on the tip of his tongue. “Pardon me for asking, but…how much do you know about…about your daughter and myself?”

Hannah raised an amused eyebrow, one expression that Garrus knew all too well. “I have my suspicions. I hope you realize that regardless of… _biology_ differences…I am still hoping for grandchildren someday.”

That comment almost made Garrus laugh, but instead he nodded and grinned as he said his farewells to Hannah Shepard. Hannah waved her goodbyes as well, and continued to do so until she could no longer see Garrus amongst the crowd of people. She shook her head in amusement. “I’m glad Jane found someone she could trust with her life…”

As soon as Garrus came aboard the Normandy, Tali rushed in front of him. In fact, they almost ran into each other.

“Where in the world were you?!” Tali shrieked as she kept glancing back and forth between him and her omni-tool.

Garrus put his talons on Tali’s shoulders. “Calm down, Tali, I headed back to the Normandy as soon as I got your message. What’s wrong?”

Tali had to take a few deep breaths before continuing. “The Normandy received a distress call from Palaven. It was hard to decipher without EDI, but thankfully it wasn’t so badly damaged that I couldn’t do it myself. It was from a turian military squad doing patrols around a remote area of Palaven they call the…’Crepusculum Passageway?’

Garrus nodded. “It’s a heavily wooded area with mountainous terrain on both sides. The foliage is so dense that almost no sunlight can get through.”

“A-Anyway, while doing their patrol, they found someone.” Tali’s voice staggered, which surprised Garrus. “They found Kal’Reegar, Garrus…and he’s still alive.”

**SHEPARD**

**-London-**

_“We could have found another way, Kolyat. I could have contacted Miranda and not have you go to one of the rainiest places I’ve ever had the pleasures of visiting.”_

Kolyat adjusted the hearing piece in his ear. “Relax, Shepard. We need more help to deal with the growing tension in the United North American States, and unlike Ms. Lawson, I volunteered to help you. I don’t intend to stay in this wet atmosphere longer than necessary, either. And before you say more, I understand your reasons for not coming here. Surely someone would recognize you, no matter how much your hair has changed.”

_“I hate that you inherited the same dry humor your father had.”_

“It’s strange…before, I would have gotten upset over being compared to my father. Now, I take pride in what you said. Thank you, Shepard.” Kolyat smirked a little as he walked through the busy streets of London, still in recovery mode after being the main battlefield for the mission to retake Earth. The streets were still in disarray, as were most of the tall skyscrapers. However, the smaller businesses and individual homes seemed to be mostly in stable condition.`

There were more gangs and organized crime forming in various parts of America, not just New Mexico. Shepard and Kolyat were able to keep the local, smaller crimes in check for a while, until they received reports of a larger crime syndicate on the rise in New York; Shepard mused that perhaps the mafia was making a comeback after years of being dormant. Kolyat didn’t know what a mafia was, but if they were anything like the merc groups outside the Sol System, they were bad news if left to their own devices. They realized that they needed more help to deal with the problem, as the two of them could no longer handle it by themselves. They needed a bigger team, comprised of people they could trust; that was especially true for Shepard, since she needed to trust them enough to keep her identity and status a secret. Which is how Kolyat ended up going to London, hoping to find some trustworthy people willing to fight once more, while Shepard stayed behind in New Mexico and relay instructions and comments to him.

_“It seems that even after the whole reaper fiasco…even after I’m supposed to be dead…I still have to look for teammates to fight alongside me. When can I retire, dare I ask?”_

Kolyat chuckled. “Forgive me for saying that you don’t seem like the retiring type. Or did you already have set plan beforehand?”

_“…I did have a plan of sorts, once. Something about adopting krogan children.”_ There was a chuckle. _“I’m not even sure if…he will still be open to the idea of being with me after all this, but if he is, I wouldn’t object.”_

Kolyat remained silent at that explanation. He knew that Shepard had a significant other, but has never met any of her crew aside from that short moment on the Citadel during his father’s memorial service. If he had to take a guess, it was probably a member of her crew…perhaps one of the human males or the turian…or even the asari.

In his moment of distraction, someone almost bumped into him; he barely managed to react in time and step out of the way. The person who bumped into him was a turian carrying a large box.

“Sorry about that.”

Kolyat shook his head. “It’s alright.”

As he watched the turian walk away, he could hear some shuffling coming from his earpiece. “Shepard?”

_“That voice sounded…familiar. Can you talk to him again?”_

And ask him what, exactly? Kolyat sighed and ran towards the turian. “Excuse me.”

The turian set the box down and stared at Kolyat with a suspicious, almost worried gaze. “Look I don’t want any trouble. I said I was sorry—”

Kolyat held up a hand. “I don’t want to cause you any trouble. But I just wondered what you were doing carrying such a large box through this crowded street. Surely there’s a much safer method, considering you couldn’t see well enough that you almost bumped into me.”

The turian let out a breath of relief. “Sorry, I’ve just been on edge after…uh, nothing. Anyway, I’ve volunteered to help with the repair efforts here in London. A few of the poorer families have run out of clean water, so I’m delivering them some bottled water. Though you have a point that I should find a better way to carry the boxes…”

_“…Kolyat. I think I know who this man is. Tell him to go with you and say someone wants to speak with him.”_

There’s no way this could end well, Kolyat thought as he glanced back at the turian. “Could you come with me? My colleague wishes to speak with you and she cannot speak freely with so many people here.”

From the turian’s body language, Kolyat could tell that he was immediately put on edge and was looking for a way out. Kolyat glared at him. “I recommend you stop acting suspicious and follow  me. I assure you that no harm will come to you; she only wishes to talk, nothing more.”

The turian must have realized that there was no escape routes available, so with a defeated look, he followed Kolyat to a skycar. Kolyat got in the driver’s seat while the turian took the passenger’s seat. Kolyat then input some commands into his omni-tool.

“My colleague wishes to speak to you.”

_“…It’s been a few years since I’ve seen you last.”_

The turian immediately tensed up. “No…no it can’t be. Every news station and Alliance soldier said you were dead!”

_“Death and I don’t get along very well, unfortunately. That concept shouldn’t be a stranger to you either, right, Lantar Sidonis?”_

Sidonis’s mandibles tightened up. “I can’t believe you remember me. You should have let Garrus kill me back on the Citadel.”

A sigh could be heard on the other end. _“Look, I understand why Garrus felt the way he did. But I didn’t want him to kill you. The last thing I wanted was for him to kill you, only to regret it later. That sort of thing never goes away, no matter how hard we try to ignore it.”_

“And what about me? You said it yourself, there wasn’t anyone left alive to kill. There was no life left in me…I was just a shell of a man.” Sidonis sighed. “You are right about that, though. I have never regretted a decision so much in my life. It still haunts me in my sleep.”

_“I heard you tried to atone by turning yourself in to C-Sec, but they couldn’t do anything.”_

Sidonis’s mandibles drooped. “They said because the crime occurred on Omega, it was out of their jurisdiction. Not only that, but Omega is literally lawless; there was no law organization to extradite me back to.” He scratched the back of his neck. “So when I heard about you destroying the reapers, and the amount of destruction it caused to London, I immediately made the decision to help out. As a way to…atone once more.” He made a sad trilling noise. “One of the humans in Garrus’s squad was born in London…”

_“…I’m glad I decided to stop Garrus from killing you. You seem to be—”_

“Why did you want to talk to me, Commander Shepard?” Sidonis cut her off. “Surely it can’t be just to reminisce about the _good old days_ , or to tell me how well I’m doing. Because despite me helping out on Earth, I can guarantee you that it’s still painful for me to think about what I did to my squad. To Garrus.”

_“You’re right. I’ll cut to the chase, then. To be frank, my colleague is in London trying to find some recruits that we can trust. Both to keep at our sides, as well as keep my identity and status of being alive a secret from the rest of the galaxy. There has been shady activity done by a previously unknown crime syndicate in the United North American States…something that I can’t ignore in this time of peace. I refuse to let my efforts go to waste due to gangs and organized crime destroying the peace I fought for.”_

“…You can’t possibly be suggesting that _I_ , of all people, join you.” Sidonis’s mandibles fluttered in shock. “You should know that I can’t be trusted! And if Garrus were here, he’d tell you the same thing.”

A hum. _“Unlike Garrus, I believe in second chances for those who I think deserve it. Or at the very least, I don’t see things in black and white like he does. And I can see that you are at least trying to atone for what you did.”_ She chuckled. _“Also, this might be another way for you to atone.”_

Sidonis rose a brow plate and crossed his arms. “…How so?”

_“I’ve received intel from one of my contacts that my crew is still heartbroken over my apparent_ death _. Especially Garrus. What I’m about to do is dangerous; organized crime, as I’m sure you’re aware, should never be taken lightly. Which is why I need people I trust by my side. Surely you can see how protecting me would be a way for you to atone for what you did. You might have left your former colleagues to die to save yourself, but now you can make up for it by fighting alongside me and help me keep people safe.”_

A slight beat.

_“I will say, however, that should you try to betray me, I will not be so lenient as last time. I will make sure you receive punishment in the form of a slow and painful death. You_ do not _want to betray my trust.”_

Sidonis gulped.

_“BUT. If you can prove to me that I can fully trust you to the point that I can consider you a friend, then I will do everything I can to protect you and keep you alive. I have already pledged that to Kolyat, the drell sitting next to you. I have a feeling that I can trust you now, Sidonis, and I’ve been told I’m a pretty good judge of character. The choice is yours to make.”_

There was a long pause as Sidonis took the time to process the information. He didn’t think there would be any way he could atone for his crimes until now; he was the whole reason his entire squad was killed and Garrus was left alone to be dealt with by the merc groups of Omega. And then when Garrus managed to track him down along with Commander Shepard, he thought his life had finally come to a miserable end. It was either extremely good luck or bad luck that allowed him to be spared that day, and he’s had to live with his decisions ever since. If he could do something good in his life for once…if he could help Garrus’s friend and commander, then maybe…

“…I’m in, Commander Shepard.”

_“Welcome aboard, Lantar Sidonis.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was anyone else very disappointed that Kal'Reegar died offscreen, and we had to learn about it through a NEWS REPORT? I would have liked that mission he was on to be playable, and even better, given the players a chance to save him depending on how the mission was played. I loved Kal'Reegar, so for the sake of my fic, I'm giving the Normandy that chance to save him.
> 
> And Shepard just can't catch a break, can she? Still at it again with forming teams to fight the enemy. Although this new teammate she's taken in...can he be trusted? I'm sure Garrus would have something to say about this, if he were to ever find out (＃`Д´)


End file.
